The External Display That Actually Works With the M1 Max MacBook Pro

Рет қаралды 13,446

Күн бұрын

This budget external display that actually works with the 14-inch MacBook Pro because apparently we need more screen real estate. Not to mention the problem we've seen with several monitors and how how they perform on a Mac. I have also recently tested this on the M1 Max Mac Studio without any issues.
So, I think I've found of the best budget 4K external monitor for the M1 Max MacBook Pro and M1 Max Studio right now. This 27-inch 4K monitor from INNOCN (27C1U) might be one of the best displays to partner up with the M1 line up of MacBook Pros in your desk setup, especially in this price category for those in the creative space. This display also works well with other Apple Silicon devices such as the M1 Mac mini as well as the M1 MacBook Air, and has that USB-C connectivity that many of us look for with a monitor.
In this review I share with you how I’m using it in my own creative workflow with the 14-inch M1 Max MacBook Pro, especially for video editing as my primary use case.
INNOCN 4K Monitor: geni.us/INNOCN27 (Amazon)
INNOCN Ultrawide: geni.us/INNultrawide (Amazon)
Viewsonic Ultrawide Monitor: geni.us/un9I (Amazon)
Monitor Arm: geni.us/7j1xeS (Amazon)
Monitor Cables I use:
ANDNOVA USB-C to USB-C: geni.us/vBWnYH (Amazon)
USB-C to Display Port: geni.us/OaNho (Amazon)
USB-C to HDMI: geni.us/irDeAO (Amazon)
HDMI Cable: geni.us/dkm4uxU (Amazon)
Creators:
Eugene Belsky: / eugenebelsky
Michael Soledad: / michaelsoledad
Team VRY: / teamvry
Patrick Rambles: / patrickrambles
Alex Tech & Gear: / alexgeartech
Gadgetsu: / gadgetsu
M1 Pro and M1 Max Related Hardware:
14-inch M1 Pro MacBook Pro: geni.us/7HlAh (Amazon)
M1 Macbook Air: geni.us/aB6N (Amazon)
M1 Mac Mini: geni.us/pDK2b (Amazon)
Anker Mini Dock: geni.us/ACcOo (Amazon)
Thunderbolt 3 Dock: geni.us/ATbaAjc (Amazon)
MX Master 3: geni.us/pfEgz (Amazon)
MX Keys: geni.us/4wiTh (Amazon)
Desktop Accessories: geni.us/OxWta
External SSDs:
Fledging TB3 Enclosure: geni.us/flJqziY (Amazon)
Acasis: geni.us/1vu6Jqc (Amazon)
WD SSD (850): geni.us/gJKK1si (Amazon)
Samsung 980 PRO: geni.us/AZkwLl (Amazon)
Sabrent USB-C Enclosure: geni.us/7iogvd (Amazon)
WD SSD (750): geni.us/N2FAzD (Amazon)
Samsung SSD (970): geni.us/yRA8d3R (Amazon)
SanDisk Extreme (T00-G25): geni.us/n0B9Q (Amazon)
Audio Gear:
Overhead Microphone: bit.ly/DeityS2SMic
Overhead Mic on Amazon: geni.us/s1A9eNK (Amazon)
Broadcast Microphone (Q9U): geni.us/QkBCC (Amazon)
Preamp for Broadcast Mic (MB-Stealth): geni.us/MBStealth (Amazon)
Handheld Recorder: geni.us/MTyrz (Amazon)
MOTU Interface: geni.us/NMoYwcJ (Amazon)
ATR Dynamic Microphone: geni.us/0V4K0Rk (Amazon)
Samson Dynamic Microphone Choice: geni.us/fVng5fM (Amazon)
Studio Headphones (250 Ohms): geni.us/BuzD (Amazon)
Yamaha Monitors (single): geni.us/MbemtUC (Amazon)
Studio Monitor Stands: geni.us/MiBAiE6 (Amazon)
What I use to Film:
My Primary Camera: geni.us/SonyA7IVFF (Amazon)
Rokinon Prime Lens: geni.us/Rokinon35 (Amazon)
Secondary Camera: geni.us/gQQxjr3 (Amazon)
Prime Lens 16mm: geni.us/BlBd9 (Amazon)
Sony 18-105: geni.us/Jb3O0 (Amazon)
SanDisk Extreme: geni.us/9MHZlT (Amazon)
Manfrotto Tripod (for vlogging): geni.us/0SYQD (Amazon)
Light Dome: geni.us/TzffFw (Amazon)
Key Light: geni.us/n2kAe (Amazon)
Stay in touch:
/ kevinrossrn
/ kevinrossrn
Send Mail & Packages to:
Kevin Ross
4845 Pearl E. Cir. STE 101
Boulder, CO 80301
I'm a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
Intro & the "perfect" monitor: 00:00
The most important question & specs: 00:59
Connections Tested: 02:00
How is the text? 03:22
The Adjustments: 04:15
What about the color? 04:52
Compared to an Ultrawide: 05:55
Audio: 07:18
Light Leak: 07:57
Is this the "perfect" partnership with M1? 08:25
#m1max #4kmonitor #macbookpro

Пікірлер: 75

@torigreenaway192 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for this review ! so helpful

@KevinRossRN 2 жыл бұрын

And thank you for your time here.

@mr.sovers555 2 жыл бұрын

Good morning sir, first time long time. Solid review. Really appreciate the A to Z approach to each product. It answers so many questions. I’m in the market for such a piece of hardware. Can you update us on your feelings and experiences with this monitor now that you’ve used it in your daily workflow for a while? Thanks in advance. Lastly, I appreciate your continued positive vibes. There is enough toxic rhetoric out there.

@KevinRossRN 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks friend. So yes, I am still using this daily. I’m actually standing next to a studio display at the Apple store as I type this, and let me say that although it’s a beautiful display, so is this one from Innocn, and not mention about 1/5th of the price. I haven’t experienced any dead pixels, no lag, the colors are really close to what I’m seeing on the MBP. I do plan on following up with a longer term experience, but will say, I’m still digging it 👍

@AlexGTech 2 жыл бұрын

I spy with my little eye…a cameo! 😊 Just watching this before I head out for footie! Man , I agree with you on Monterey being buggy still. But this monitor looks awesome, interesting point about viewing angles, some Ultrawides really lose quality as you move about. PS.: My son said you need to improve your rocket league game 😂

@KevinRossRN 2 жыл бұрын

Hey, hope it all went well today ⚽️ And your son is correct, I do need to work on my skills. 💀 Hopefully this next iteration that comes out of beta will be better because it had a strong start and fixed a lot of Big Sur issues, but here we are now 🤷‍♂️

@KevinRossRN 2 жыл бұрын

I still get so many questions about external displays, and as you know there are SO MANY options out there, but I'm pretty excited to have another one to choose from and I do think that when compared to other displays in this category, I would recommend this one in your short list for your creative workflow: geni.us/INNOCN27 Sending my best to you all, and I'll see you in the comments.

@charlou2006 2 жыл бұрын

You had me at "underdog"! lol! The Innocn website doesn't seem to be so reactive when asking questions directly to them.

@KevinRossRN 2 жыл бұрын

Yeah, this is one of my concerns with any product. I do typically try out customer service with these brands to see how responsive they are. I may just reach out to them again just to see where things are on that end as I know it can fluctuate from business to business.

@lukerabin5079 2 жыл бұрын

Kevin, while this question sounds like I’m being lazy, I want to preface it by adding some info, which is that we’re packing up to move from Australia to Thailand, so my house is not being friendly to doing lots of testing right now. Do you know if a 14” MBP could run two of these monitors adequately for both stills editing as well as 4k video post, with a reasonable external drive array with 2 display port ports? Thanks so much in advance, I can’t tell you how much I and I’m sure we in the wider world appreciate your incredible attention to detail and respect for tech mean to us.

@KevinRossRN 2 жыл бұрын

So I’d take advantage of the USB-C charging functionality if you can. That way you’ll get charging when you need it, but the battery tech in the MBP will only charge when it’s needed. So running USB-C on one and USB-C (from the MBP) to DP on the other monitor should give you a color matched experience. HDMI on these M1s have just forced me to calibrate for that connection 🤷‍♂️ But I run dual monitors and often times two Thunderbolt SSD enclosures when editing, which is quite often.

@markallen4514 2 жыл бұрын

I wanted to thank you for this review. I need a low-ish cost monitor that will also pivot. I don't do much in the way of video but I do need something with good color for photos. This seems perfect for my situation. Hope you get a few $ when I order through the link in a few weeks.

@KevinRossRN 2 жыл бұрын

Well I appreciate that friend. Super glad to help. I’m sitting in front of this monitor right now editing something for Instagram. I’m really loving this thing. Great to have you here and I’m thankful for your support.

@mysticphoenix7011 2 жыл бұрын

@@KevinRossRN hello, does this monitor actually charge the macbook pro aswell when connected via usb c to usb c? Thanks

@KevinRossRN 2 жыл бұрын

Indeed it does.

@mysticphoenix7011 2 жыл бұрын

@@KevinRossRN super, thanks for the reply

@KevinRossRN 2 жыл бұрын

Of course!

@TeamVRY 2 жыл бұрын

I don't see a lot of monitors that allow portrait viewing Orientation. that's a pretty interesting design. 🤔

@KevinRossRN 2 жыл бұрын

I’m honestly surprised at the features for the price. It’s been fun to play around with this thing for sure.

@JuiceMan 2 жыл бұрын

Do you feel like 400 nits of brightness is good enough? I’ve been through like 3-4 monitors that just isn’t comparable to my iMac screen brightness wise.

@KevinRossRN 2 жыл бұрын

Well it’s definitely not iMac experience level, I’ll admit that. Personally I have to turn the brightness down, but that’s mostly because I’m at about arm’s length away from it.

@SithTracy 2 жыл бұрын

I picked up one of these to replace an older BenQ 4K monitor (very early one) that finally died (and had its share of issued with image bleed in and under powered USB ports). Did not want to spend a lot of money in these trying times and this thing looks pretty good. Text is crisp, color is fantastic. Use it via HDMI on a Intel NUC, a Dell Laptop and an M1 Pro MBP via USB-C. I have a Xiaomi MI-BHR4838GL Lightbar and it holds on to this monitor perfectly and does "notch" the image. A couple of things I am not too keen on... The controls, the seem awkward and I guess I prefer the NUB stick used on LG monitors. I don't like that the controls go in the bottom up, again, prefer the straight in approach of LG, but once you have your cables run, you are set. My BenQ had 4 USB 3.0 ports, and this only has two... I would have liked them on the side. Seems I am only getting 30Hz refresh on HDMI-2. But I have yet to try a different cable to see if that resolves the issue. VESA mount is weird, but it works (not using the included stand, but that looks fine). Overall, not bad for a brand I never heard of. If the price was a bit lower, i think they would sell better (and I would add a second).

@KevinRossRN 2 жыл бұрын

Hey Tracy, really appreciate your time here, and glad that you shared your experience. I’ve been using this daily to see if I can find any other quirks about it, and agree that the on screen display navigation is a little different, but to your point, once you’re dialed in you really don’t have much of a need to access it. I’d be interested to hear that if you ever upgraded the cable if you can get the full 60Hz, but maybe it’s not much of an issue on your end. I like to see other budget options like this display out there, especially at 4K because it ends up pushing other brands. I hope it continues to serve your needs.

@SithTracy 2 жыл бұрын

@@KevinRossRN I upgraded the cable, to no avail, but found the specs on the Dell laptop and sadly HDMI on it is an old standard. Using an Intel NUC with one of the HDMI ports, I am only able to get 50Hz refresh out of it. If I set it to the native 60, the monitor will eventually go into a panic and flash on/off and eventually go dark. Basically any Intel integrated GPU creates this issue. This is not the case with a BenQ 4K monitor with HDMI 2.0 ports or my LG 2K monitor (that I was able to drive at 75Hz). INNOCN support was able to duplicate the issue but was not able to offer a solution. With my new M1Pro MBP this thing works great, but Windows users using integrated GPU's should likely look elsewhere. For now, I am ok with 50Hz as the Windows NUC is not getting used to heavily. I have hopes that INNOCN will deliver some time of firmware update to the display to address these compatibility issues.

@KevinRossRN 2 жыл бұрын

Hey Tracy, Really (REALLY) appreciate you circling back around on this my friend. This info can definitely help others make that buying decision. I hope that a firmware update may resolve it. Glad to hear about the M1 PRO though. Again, appreciate your time here.

@lukerabin5079 2 жыл бұрын

Is that for real? 96% RGB? That’s stunning!

@KevinRossRN 2 жыл бұрын

Kind of silly for the price. I’ve been talking to other creators that have this display and they’re pretty stunned themselves. Appreciate you being here.

@brycevallie3545 2 жыл бұрын

Hey Kevin, stumbled across your videos and boy am I glad I did. I have an m1 air (and 2018 ipad pro) and am looking for my first monitor. I was kind of hoping to go ultrawide but mostly for productivity. I am entering a physical therapy doctoral program and will be studying all the time. I get migraines and am light sensitive so the blue light feature sounds great. I really would like all these features such as the usb c connectivity and sharp image. I’m sure this may surpass my needs but my question is whether you have any suggestions for an ultrawide that won’t break the bank completely but will work well with the m1? If not maybe this would be a really good option and an ultrawide wouldn’t even be necessary! I appreciate you trying to help everyone out with the unknowns associated with the m1!

@KevinRossRN 2 жыл бұрын

Congrats on starting your DPT program. So as far as an ultrawide, the one behind me in the shot is what I’ve been using for the last couple of years and does have blue light filters on it. It’s linked down below, but do you have a specific budget in mind?

@brycevallie3545 2 жыл бұрын

I appreciate it! I entered the market hoping to stay under $500 however, quickly realized that wouldn’t happen. If I could stay around $700 but have an ultrawide that would work well with my m1 I would consider that a win. Maybe I will just bite the bullet and go with your ultrawide or realize a regular aspect ratio would likely be more than enough.

@KevinRossRN 2 жыл бұрын

So as far as your budget, have you looked at this one? geni.us/LG34WN80C-B A little less expensive and other users have stated that it’s good for programming and development, which means that it’s easier on the eyes for text, and I believe this has a “reader mode” for reducing eye strain.

@brycevallie3545 2 жыл бұрын

@@KevinRossRN I have seen it! It has been difficult as there are so many models it becomes overwhelming! I will dig deeper on this one tomorrow, thank you Kevin. I’m going to look into yours as well. Much appreciated!

@KevinRossRN 2 жыл бұрын

You bet. I know it’s a tough decision, especially on the ultrawide side of things.

@KerwanCelestine 7 ай бұрын

Does this auto pivot? Or do you have to do it manually? I have a viewsonic VP2768 4K and to this day they have not updated their monitors to auto pivot with the m1 chips

@KevinRossRN 7 ай бұрын

So if you’re referring to an accelerometer when it comes to rotating the screen, there is what’s referred to as Gravity Sensor…so yes, it’ll rotate on the screen, but you just have to dial in the aspect ratio you want.

@KerwanCelestine 7 ай бұрын

@@KevinRossRN ahhh so you’ll have to go into the MacBook and change the aspect ratio? Thats the issue for me, like the viewsonic, once you put it in portrait mode, the screen rotates automatically into portrait mode and if you put it back to landscape it will switch its orientation once again by itself. That’s what I wanted to know. So this doesn’t do the same is what you’re saying right? You’d have to manually go into the Mac and change the settings to portrait orientation?

@KevinRossRN 7 ай бұрын

@KerwanCelestine Correct, you’d have to manually set the aspect ratio. I haven’t really used this feature, except for testing. I do still use the monitor daily though. However if you’re looking for the ability to rotate the display more frequently with the ease of the aspect ratio already being set, it might not be the best choice.

@BrianAz 2 жыл бұрын

Nice review Kevin. But off subject can you recommend where to go or how to get Final Cut Pro edition training??? It is really slow and sometimes confusing to piece my way through KZfaq videos. But, if that’s all there is then i will just deal with it. Can’t find ANYONE at any price that I can meet with in person for intensive training. What do you suggest?

@KevinRossRN 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks! As far as FCPX, have you looked at the business Ripple Training? Especially if you’re looking for basics and a lot of the shortcuts we use to save time. They have their own site/platform and are also on KZfaq.

@BrianAz 2 жыл бұрын

@@KevinRossRN I will take a look, thanks Kevin!

@KevinRossRN 2 жыл бұрын

You bet. Best of luck 🤞

@keithofthesea 2 жыл бұрын

I'm diving deep into a rabbit hole of recommended monitors for the MBP here as I'm in the market for one while my MBP is on the way. (I'll try to lay the foundation as best I can before my question) So I'm finding that the monitors to achieve the recommended 110 or 220 ppi, are either 27" 1440 monitors or 5K which is limited between the LG Ultrafine or Apple's Studio Displays. Anything outside of those 1440 or 5K monitors, texts would be scaled either too large or too small, unless you choose a setting in-between which would scale 4K to 5K and back down to ~1440. But I heard the latter takes up some GPU performance unless you went with the 1080 or default 4K options. Have you noticed any hinderance when using this monitor for editing (particularly Premiere Pro) at what I assume you're using is the scaled ~1440 option? I hope this made sense...

@KevinRossRN 2 жыл бұрын

It makes sense. And, I use PP sparingly in the Mac as I just find it works better (for me) on the PC. However as far as the scaling, I use 1080P, which it defaults to with this external display, although I could choose 1440, but don’t find this to be ideal on this particular display. Not sure if I answered the question, but will say that I do still use it the display daily, and haven’t had any issues thus far, and the text is clear. I just like it because I haven’t had to really make any big tweaks to it and don’t need to use something like Better Dummy….which I’m not sure if you’ve seen that on GitHub.

@keithofthesea 2 жыл бұрын

I've def come across Better Dummy in the forums and though I didn't read much into how it works, I just made the assessment that it's something I wouldn't wanna use. Out of curiosity, what are your justifications of using 1080p on a 4K monitor? Doesn't that affect the quality of everything or just the UI?

@KevinRossRN 2 жыл бұрын

Just the UI. I’m still getting great quality out of it, and although I use the MBP more as a reference monitor for the finished product, I am finding that the color grade is very close to what I’m seeing on that MBP display. Honestly, I’m still pleasantly surprised about the images/footage I’m getting out a display that’s at a budget price. I’ve purchased many displays within the same range and just haven’t found one that’s similar, although I know that as of late there are a few more options hitting the shelves. What are some of the other displays (specifically) you’ve got your eyes on?

@keithofthesea 2 жыл бұрын

@@KevinRossRN You know, I actually had some that I put on my Amazon wishlist, then started removing them the more I did research. haha. I had eyed the Gigabyte M32U, MSI QHD Optix, and even considered biting the bullet on the Ultrafine 5K. But I think I'm heavily leaning towards this INNOCN. At the very least, it can serve as a second monitor down the line, if I decide to get one of the 5Ks. But like you said, I think worst comes to worst, I'll use the MBP as a reference monitor when editing. Also, thank you! I appreciate your response and input!

@keithofthesea 2 жыл бұрын

...and I just made the purchase. 😅

@miguelhernandez2909 2 жыл бұрын

Hello, what do you think are the best settings for a clean display?

@KevinRossRN 2 жыл бұрын

Happy to help, but can you elaborate by what you mean by a clean display?

@miguelhernandez2909 2 жыл бұрын

@Kevin Ross out the box it seems a bit fuzzy, I want it to look sharp. If possible I would like to make it as close to a ml pros display.

@Josh-od6oc 2 жыл бұрын

I have been looking for a 4K 32", any recommendations?

@KevinRossRN 2 жыл бұрын

What’s your primary use case?

@onlygknows7793 Жыл бұрын

How to set up a dolby Atmos studio monitor system. Thanks

@KevinRossRN Жыл бұрын

Do you have a budget in mind for your studio monitors.

@thomasdietz579 Жыл бұрын

I am having such a hard time finding the right screen for my mac mini m1. I am not into gaming, film editing but I make music and I want my DAW to look good/sharp! I want a 32 4 screen but I am lost and I see so many having problems with their 4k screens with the Mini :-( Could you help me ? Been looking at this Dell 32 UltraSharp U3219Q or the LG 32UL950-W 4K UHD USB ! I also looked at a Benq PD3220U but the spec on that one is not as the two others and here in Denmark it costs at lot more the the LG or DELL what gives ?

@KevinRossRN Жыл бұрын

Welcome to the world of Mac and external displays. As far as the choices here I would lean toward the BenQ based on my own experience, but do you need 4K?

@charlou2006 2 жыл бұрын

With a MacBook Pro 14 inch 2021, I tried the PBP function, which allows to split the screen monitor and have two different inputs from different machines side by side. I'm getting the two desktops, but they are overly stretched vertically. Anybody figured a way to adjust the stretching?

@KevinRossRN 2 жыл бұрын

In the PiP settings, are you just in PiP mode? And then for PiP position, where do you have that screen anchored? Top left?

@charlou2006 2 жыл бұрын

@@KevinRossRN Thanks for your reply! Wow! KZfaq is amazing! People conversing in comment sections and solving problems miles apart! I was using the "PBP 2Win 11" mode to have two desktops from different computers (2021 MBP and 2012 MBP) side by side. I may have resolved my problem, watching a video about a Benq monitor having similar functionality. By pressing the Option key when clicking on the word "Scaled" in the External Display's Resolution settings, or by clicking on "Show all resolutions", you get access to other resolutions than the three original ones, which give stretched desktops. Being allowed to choose 1920 x 2016 partly solved the problem for me. The text gets awfully small, but if I'm using it to compare the coloring of footage when editing, the size of the text doesn't matter that much.

@KevinRossRN 2 жыл бұрын

Gotcha. Yeah, the PiP functionally in that setting does seem to scale awkwardly in this particular use case. I’ve typically just used the single PiP mode just to have this sitting up in the corner, but I’m glad to hear that you may have resolved the issue. I hope anyway.

@JasonYorkTech 2 жыл бұрын

Does this monitor work well with an iPad Pro?

@KevinRossRN 2 жыл бұрын

Yes, you’ll still not get the full aspect ratio, which is the issue with iPadOS, but it does work and I’ve talked to another creator who’s using this same display with the iPad Pro.

@TeamVRY 2 жыл бұрын

4:56 ayoo 😁

@KevinRossRN 2 жыл бұрын

How did you get in there? 🤔 😉

@Zombxx4 Жыл бұрын

Do you get any flickering? Every monitor I try has a flicker issue.

@KevinRossRN Жыл бұрын

No flicker. It’s still my daily.

@Zombxx4 Жыл бұрын

@@KevinRossRN thanks for the fast response. Will pick it up this weekend!

@KevinRossRN Жыл бұрын

For the price it’s just so hard to beat. Many of the creators that I’m friends with are also using this without issue. Sending my best on your experience.

@adinchandra1797 2 жыл бұрын

IPS LED Backlit: This is Retina Display that 🍎 made for their devices

@KevinRossRN 2 жыл бұрын

Hard to find a comparable display to that of the Apple ones, but this monitor is a pretty good compliment at a pretty aggressive price, especially with USB-C.